Admiring Eyes
by snow fox
Summary: It's about an ordinary high school girl who meets Rukawa. After time passes, her feelings of admiration and respect develop into something more... (4th & final chapter now up. tell me if you want me to continue.)
1. The Game

Chapter 1- The Game  
  
Beep…beep…beep. I covered my head as my watch beeped for the second time. I'd had little sleep that night due to all the homework I had. "Hey sleepyhead! Wake up! We'll be late for school!" yelled a voice. I couldn't tell whose; I was too sleepy. My hand searched blindly to turn off the alarm. After a couple of minutes, I sleepily rose from my bed and stretched out. After taking a couple of steps to the bathroom I trip over something. "What the…?" I look to see my schoolbag in the middle of the hall. I stand up slowly as I rub my soar rear.  
  
After taking a shower I changed into my uniform and ran downstairs. "What took you so long?" asked Kasumi. Kasumi's my cousin. We're the same age and we go to the same school too. That's right! I forgot to introduce myself! Where to begin…? My name is Koyama Sekami. I'm a 15-year-old Ryonan High School student. I live with my Aunt Reiko and cousins, Kasumi and Satoshi. I live with them since my family lives in the country. I have a part-time job at a video rental store. Since the pay is okay I usually find myself shopping, mostly at sales though.  
  
"Hey come on Sekami! Just grab something and let's go!" shouts Kasumi. I grabbed a rice ball off the plate and headed out the door. We each got on our bikes and started off towards school. "So, are you going to watch?" asked Kasumi. I tried to answer but instead of words, rice came flying out. Kasumi started laughing hard. I swallowed what was left of the rice. "I'm sorry," said Kasumi, trying to control her laughter. "Never mind that. Now what was that you were saying?" I asked. "The practice game. You know, the one with the Shohoku basketball club?" said Kasumi in a duh-isn't- it-obvious kind of way. I mentally hit myself. "Sorry. I guess it just slipped my mind."  
  
We reached school just in time. Since Kasumi and I are in different sections, we only see each other during break times. The bell rang and it was time for me to get to my classroom. As the teacher discussed the math problem, I stared out the window daydreaming. I imagined what the practice game would be like. Soon my little daydream became a deep slumber…  
  
"Come on! Slow and steady!" It was Sendoh, our point guard. Loud cheers erupted in the gym. Suddenly, the ball was in Shohoku's possession. I couldn't make out the faces of the Shohoku players but I saw the jersey numbers clearly. It was Shohoku's jersey number 11 that took the ball away from Sendoh. Number 11 scored 2 points for Shohoku. Now, the ball was with Koshino. He made a shot but it missed. Shohoku's number 10 got the rebound. He threw the ball to number 7 but he didn't catch it. Soon, I found the ball headed straight toward me!  
  
WHAM! I fell backwards on my chair! I heard the class start to laugh. I just knew I turned bright red at that moment. "Is anything wrong Koyama?" asked the teacher. "Uh, no sir." I said with an embarrassed smile.  
  
"You what?! That's so unreal! You? Daydreaming? Then falling asleep during class? Ha! I don't believe you!" Kasumi and I were in the cafeteria buying some food when I told her what had happened earlier in the classroom. "Why? Is it that farfetched?" I asked defensively. Kasumi patted me on the back. "Of course it is. You're always buried in your books. The last thing you would do is sleep during class." We sat down at a table near the window. "I got a little distracted that's all."  
  
It was now time for the game and Kasumi and I were so excited. "So, do you think your dream is a premonition?" asked Kasumi. I thought for a while. After all, there was a probability. "I don't know." I answered finally. "Whoa! Look!" said Kasumi excitedly as she pointed madly. And I could see why. It was our basketball team. "They look spunky don't they?" I asked. Kasumi nodded. "Uh-huh."  
  
After a couple of minutes of anticipation, the Shohoku basketball team arrived. After warming up and changing, the game was about to begin. "Wait…" Kasumi looked at me. "What is it?" "Sendoh isn't here yet…" Kasumi looked around. "Oh dear…" Just then, the doors flew open and guess who it was. It was none other than Sendoh! After Sendoh got changed, the game began.  
  
That's when I saw him, that's when I saw Shohoku's number 11. As the game got more intense, I noticed that my eyes were focused on him. "Amazing…" I whispered to myself. "Yeah, aren't they?" Kasumi agreed. After a couple more minutes of watching, Kasumi noticed that I was in a daze. She waved her hand several times in front of my face. "Earth to Sekami. Do you read us Sekami?" Kasumi then snapped her fingers. "What? Were you saying something?" I said after finally coming back to my senses. "Oh no, Sekami. I wasn't saying anything at all." Kasumi replied with a slight hint of sarcasm. "Who were you staring at anyway?" she asked. I felt my face heat up as I turned a bright red. "I wasn't staring at anyone! What gave you that idea?!" Kasumi just smiled.  
  
The game was over. We won 87 – 86. "It was a really close game wasn't it Kasumi?" Kasumi nodded. "Shohoku's not bad. I'd say they have a chance to reach the finals." I couldn't agree more with her. We were on our way home when I decided to find out who the players of Shohoku were. "Who are you going to ask?" she asked me. I grinned at her cleverly. "Hikoichi, of course."  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
The following day, just before classes started, I approached Hikoichi. "Good afternoon Hikoichi." I greeted politely. He turned around. "Oh, good afternoon Sekami. What are you doing here?" he asked. "I'm here to see you." He looked at me disbelievingly. "Is that so…?" I couldn't help but smile at his reaction to what I had said. "You see, I heard that you're an expert when it comes to researching. So, I was wondering if you could tell me about the Shohoku basketball team." Hikoichi's face brightened instantly at my compliment. "Of course Sekami. Where do you want me to begin?"  
  
After 5 minutes, I found out all I needed to know. "Thank you for your time Hikoichi." I said as I exited the classroom. I was on my way to class when I met Kasumi in the hall. "So, did you find out anything useful?" asked Kasumi. I nodded. "When Hikoichi researches, he researches." Just then, the bell rang. "I'll have to go home early Sekami. Is it ok if you walk home by yourself?" asked Kasumi as she entered her class. "Yeah, it's ok." I replied quickly.  
  
It was english class but since the teacher was absent, I decided to organize the notes I had taken down. "So, number 11 is named Rukawa Kaede." I whispered to myself. "Small forward, 187 cm, 75 kg…graduated from Tomigaoka Junior High. Hmm, is considered a super rookie and is very popular with the girls…" I sighed. "Too bad I'll never meet him."  
  
After classes I went straight home. I didn't feel like going to the library. And besides, I was getting pretty hungry. Upon arrival, I saw Kasumi and Satoshi playing videogames in the living room. "Die you ugly sick-o!" Satoshi yelled. "Get ready to meet your maker you revolting freak." Kasumi yelled back. I sighed. 'Sibling love, how precious…" DING- DONG. It was the doorbell. I opened the door to see Aunt Reiko standing right in front of me. "Aunt Reiko? Why did you ring the doorbell?" I asked. She smiled at me and said, "I forgot my keys inside."  
  
"Dinner's ready! Come down you three!" Kasumi, Satoshi and I were upstairs playing cards when dinner was ready. "Finally! I thought my stomach would never stop growling!" Satoshi said as he got up. "But you're always hungry Sato…" Kasumi remarked.  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
"Wake up Kasumi!!!" I yelled for the tenth time. There was going to be a sale and I didn't want to miss it. "Why is it you wake me up this early for a sale when you yourself can't even get up for school?" Kasumi grumbled. "It's in my genes." I said cheerfully. "Which one? (genes or jeans…)" she replied.  
  
After I finally got Kasumi out of bed and into the bathroom, I picked out which clothes to wear. At last we were finally ready to go. "How much money did you bring?" Kasumi asked me. "￥10,000 and a credit card." I replied looking through my bag. "WHAT?! Don't tell me you plan on using that much!!!" I looked at her hopelessly. "My dear Kasumi, you should always bring extra just in case of emergencies. What if you find the perfect outfit and you happen to be out of cash?" Kasumi shook her head and sighed.  
  
Just as we were about to turn the curve, we saw a man ride into a telephone pole. We quickly rushed towards the injured man. "Are you all right?" I asked. Just as I helped the man up, I noticed that he was none other than Shohoku's Rukawa Kaede!!! 


	2. The Encounter

Chapter 2 – The Encounter  
  
"Y-you're Rukawa Kaede aren't you?" I asked in shock. "Huh?" he said as he scratched his head. Kasumi nudged me. "It looks like he fell asleep on his bike…" I looked at him closer. It did seem as if he had fallen asleep while riding his bike. His eyes were half-closed and he seemed a bit groggy. "Are you hurt?" I asked him. "I'm fine." He replied as he brushed the dirt from his clothes. He looked at his bike and sighed. "Not again…" The bike's front wheel was deformed due to the crash. "You should get that repaired before you ride that again." I said wistfully. Kasumi looked at me in a duh-isn't-it-obvious kind of way…again. I shrugged. "Just trying to help."  
  
Rukawa decided to tag-along since the bike shop was along the way to the store we were going to. "Shohoku played well at the practice game. Especially you." I complimented. Rukawa remained silent. I smiled. Kasumi interrupted and said, "But it's no surprise we won, we have Sendoh." I gave her a sharp elbow to the ribs. Rukawa's eyes became serious. "Uh, please don't mind her. She's quite tactless as you can see." I added quickly.  
  
Rukawa still remained silent. I sighed to myself while trying to think of a way to brighten up the conversation. As you can probably tell, Kasumi is too loyal to Ryonan basketball team (namely Sendoh) to be polite to other schools' basketball teams. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Koyama Sekami." I said brightly. "And that's my cousin Takahashi Kasumi." I added pointing at Kasumi. "You're related?" he said finally. I nodded. "She seems nothing like you…" he pointed out.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Kasumi defensively. "You're rude and loud-mouthed. She's not." Rukawa replied. Kasumi was just about to smack him when I grabbed her arm. "Look there's the bike shop over there. I guess we'll be splitting-up here. It was nice meeting you Rukawa." I said as I gave a polite bow. "Speak for yourself…" Kasumi mumbled under her breath.  
  
When Kasumi and I reached the store, I couldn't help but think of what Rukawa thought of Kasumi and me…me in particular. "What's wrong Sekami? Aren't you going to buy something? You could at least look around." Kasumi asked. I shook my head. "I don't feel like shopping right now." Kasumi sat beside me and put her hand on my forehead. "Nope. No fever. But what's bugging you?" she asked worriedly. "What if he thinks badly of us?" I replied glumly.  
  
"Who Sekami?" I rolled my eyes. "Rukawa. Who else?" Kasumi stood up and replied, "Oh… Don't worry about him. I don't think he cares about anything except basketball." She started to look through the shelves. "While we're on the subject, why are you so interested in him all of a sudden?" I thought for a while. It hadn't really occurred to me before why I was so fixated on him. "I guess it's because I think he's pretty amazing." I replied after minutes of thoughtful consideration. Kasumi stared at me for a while and then continued looking around. "What's so amazing? He's not as good as Sendoh mind you." Kasumi said thoughtlessly. "I know. But just the fact that he's almost at Sendoh's level is overwhelming. You forget the fact that he's a freshman like us. While Sendoh is a junior."  
  
"All right already! I'll admit he's got talent. But for me, Sendoh's the best." Kasumi finally gave in. I stood and started looking around the store. "So, looks like you've finally found your appetite for shopping." Kasumi pointed out. We both started to laugh.  
  
It was about lunchtime when we left the store. "How long have we been shopping?" Kasumi asked wearily. I looked at my watch. "3 hours. Don't tell me you're tired already! We haven't even gotten to the other stores yet!" I said optimistically. "Can we please eat first Sekami? I'm starving…"  
  
After eating lunch and shopping a little more, we decided to go home. "I wonder what Sato is doing…" Kasumi said after a couple of blocks. "He's probably playing videogames. Or maybe watching the tube." I replied. It started to get dark. Huge gray rain cloud formed above us. Just then, we heard a thunder roar in the distance. "It's starting to drizzle. We'd better hurry." Kasumi said coolly. I on the other hand started to panic. "Ah! Our stuff is going to get wet!" I said as a started to run. "Stop running or you're going to trip!" Kasumi yelled as she chased after me. "Don't worry, these are top-of-the-line sneakers. I won't slip." I called back.  
  
The rain really started to pour just as we reached home. "That was close." I said with a sigh. "Hey Kasumi, did you get me anything?" asked Satoshi as we entered the living room. "No." she replied as she set the bags on the table. "How 'bout you Sekami? Did you get me anything?" I smiled. "As-a-matter-of-fact I did. Here." I handed him a book. "Thanks. Did anything interesting happen?"  
  
"Really?! Whoa! You are so lucky!" Satoshi exclaimed. I had just told him about our encounter with Rukawa. "We weren't that lucky. We would have been luckier if we had bumped into Sendoh." Kasumi remarked. Satoshi and I sighed. "At least you two had something to do. I stayed home all day." Satoshi pointed out. "And of all the people you could have seen, you saw Super Rookie Rukawa Kaede." I smiled intently. "I guess that does make us lucky…" I whispered. "I guess it does." 


	3. "Fishy" Day

Chapter 3 – "Fishy" Day  
  
It had been a week since Kasumi and I met Rukawa. I thought I was over the whole incident. But it turns out I was wrong. I found myself watching more basketball games on TV than going outside to hang out. "It seems to me that you have basketball fever." Aunt Reiko said. "Do you think?" I replied. She nodded.  
  
"The high schools will soon be competing with each other to go the Inter High competition," she explained. "Inter High?" I asked. "The Inter High is on a national level. There will only be two teams that will represent Kanagawa. One of which will most likely be Kainan." Aunt Reiko further explained. "Why do you say that?" I inquired, now captivated by the subject.  
  
"Well, Kainan has been the number one team here in Kanagawa for 16 years in a row. I don't think they plan on breaking that winning streak. But the question now is 'who will be number 2?'." Suddenly, out of nowhere, Kasumi butted-in. "Ryonan, of course."  
  
After much debating with Kasumi, I soon gave up. "Ha! I've beaten you! How dare you think that any other team could ever beat Ryonan!" she exclaimed while pointing at me. I sighed and said, "But you're the one that said that Shohoku had a shot at going to the finals…" Kasumi crossed her arms. "I did say that. But that doesn't mean that they're going to the Inter High, now does it?" I shrugged and sighed.  
  
I decided to take a walk since it was sunny outside. "Do you want to come with me Kasumi?" I offered. She declined my offer. She said she had better things to do. "Besides, it looks like you could use some time to yourself." Kasumi added.  
  
I walked along the seashore. It was very calm and the view was magnificent. I walked for a couple more minutes and was about to turn around and leave when I saw a familiar figure in the distance. "Could it be…?" I asked myself. I walked up to the figure and to my surprise, found out that I was right! It was Sendoh Akira!  
  
He was sitting down on the port fishing. I approached him slowly so as not to disturb him. He turned around to look at me. He placed his index finger over his mouth and winked. "The fish are probably sleeping," he whispered. "We wouldn't want to wake them." I smiled at his charm. He motioned me to sit beside him. Just as I sat down, he handed me the fishing rod. "Here, you have a try."  
  
I took the rod with both hands. I'd never fished before so I was very nervous. As if reading my mind, Sendoh smiled and said, "Just take in a deep breath." I nodded and took in a deep breath. I started to feel better afterwards. But just as I started to feel at ease, something started to pull on the fishing rod!  
  
I screamed. Sendoh fell back. I screamed again. "Why are you screaming?" he asked. "I think I've caught something!" I yelled. He smiled at my simplicity. "Hold on." He wrapped his arms around me to keep me from falling into the water and told me step-by-step how to reel the fish in. After struggling for a couple of minutes I had the fish.  
  
I held up the fish triumphantly. "Looks good." Sendoh said cheerfully. I laughed. "Wow, this must be a foot long! I can't believe I caught it." Sendoh smiled. "I mean; I can't believe we caught it." I corrected myself. Sendoh shook his head. "No, I think you deserve most of the credit. I've been waiting for quite a while but none of the fish seem to come to me."  
  
"I guess you're not their type." I said. He smiled as he gave me a pat on the back. He fixed all his stuff and put it in his backpack. "What did you say your name was?" he asked. "Koyama Sekami. But you can just call me Sekami." He looked at his watch and said, "Well Sekami, it's still early, how 'bout we go grab some lunch?" Sendoh offered. I shrugged. "Sure."  
  
Sendoh and I arrived at a small café. We sat at a table outside. "I love this place," I said. "The coffee tastes great here so I come here a lot." Sendoh looked at the menu. "Since you seem to be more of a coffee- person than I am, I'll trust you to order for me." He said as put the menu down. "I'm flattered. Do you have a sweet tooth?" I asked. Sendoh thought for a while then nodded.  
  
"What will you two be having?" the waiter asked. "We'll have a cappuccino and a mocha please." I said. "And two plates of spaghetti please." Sendoh added. I smiled. "Don't tell me you're going to eat two plates of spaghetti by yourself." Sendoh waved his hand dismissively. "Of course not. The other one's for you." I couldn't help but smile at his thoughtfulness. "So, what are a mocha and a cappuccino?"  
  
"Well, a mocha is a mixture of coffee and chocolate. A tablespoon of chocolate syrup and a dab of unsweetened whipped cream to be exact." I explained. "While a cappuccino is a drink made by adding foaming hot milk to an espresso." He looked at me thoughtfully as the waiter served our coffee and cakes. "What about an espresso?" he asked. "An espresso is a very strong black coffee made of coffee beans roasted black and brewed under steam pressure. Usually made by machine."  
  
"Impressive, it looks like you really know your coffee." Sendoh said. We took a sip of our coffees and sighed. "Delicious." Sendoh said dreamily. I nodded. "Isn't it? I knew you'd like it. By the way, that was an impressive game you had last week." Sendoh looked at me. "Thank you." I turned a bit red when he said that. "I'm merely stating the truth. There's no need for thanks." I said. "What do you think about Rukawa?" he asked inquisitively. "He was amazing!" I said. "He was so graceful, so magnificent. When he had the ball it was like poetry-in-motion." I said half daydreaming.  
  
"Do you like him?" he asked. "What? Oh, I think he's great but that's all." I said as I came back to reality. I was starting to turn red again. "Is that so…? It sounds like you like him." Sendoh teased as took a bite of his cake. "You sound so absentminded when you talk about him. I think I'm jealous." I laughed and gave him a soft nudge. "Stopping teasing me! You're making me blush." I said as I put my hands over my cheeks. He laughed with me.  
  
It was about 2 o'clock when we decided to leave. I was just about to take my wallet out when Sendoh stopped me and said, "Allow me." He paid for our bill without hesitation. I felt quite embarrassed. "Thank you." I said as we left. "I was merely fulfilling my duty as a gentleman. There's no need for thanks." Sendoh said with a smile. "Well, I was merely fulfilling my duty as a lady by thanking you." I replied coolly. "Ooh, great come- back." We laughed.  
  
"So, where do you live?" Sendoh asked. "Not very far. Only a few more blocks from here." We had been talking to keep things lively. I found it easy to talk to him since he was very charming. There was no wonder Kasumi liked him so much. "I'll walk you home. That is, if it's ok with you." I nodded. "That would be great."  
  
We finally reached my house. "Well, there it is." I said pointing at the house. "It's very charming." Sendoh complimented. "But not as charming as you." I said teasingly. "Now who's flattering who?" Sendoh said lightheartedly. I couldn't help but smile. "Thanks for everything. I had fun today. Maybe we could do it again some time." I said. Sendoh gave me a pat on the head. "Sure. Why not?" he said as he winked. "See you at school on Monday." He waved and left.  
  
I entered the living room to see Kasumi lying on the couch staring at the ceiling. "What are you doing looking at the ceiling? I thought you had better things to do." I said as I sat down on the armchair. "I do. Staring at the ceiling is one of them. So, how did your day go?" she asked. "Not bad," I said with a smile. "Not bad at all."  
  
"I guess some time alone really helped you get in tune with your inner-self. You look so happy." Kasumi observed. I shook my head. "I wasn't alone for very long. I wasn't alone at all." Kasumi sat up. "Really? Why?" I shook my finger. "Uh-uh-uh. Can't tell you. You might try to kill me." Kasumi crossed her arms. "Why would I try to kill you?"  
  
"I'm gonna kill you!!!" yelled Kasumi as she chased me around the living room. "I told you you'd try." I told her about my day with Sendoh and the next thing I knew she was trying to kill me. "Why didn't you take me with you?!" she screamed. "You told me you didn't want to go!" I yelled back. Just as Satoshi came down the stairs, I hid behind his back. "Protect me Satoshi, Kasumi's gone berserk." Satoshi nodded. "Don't worry, I've got you covered." He made a really good impression of a basketball player defending the basket.  
  
"Why are you siding with her?! I'm your sister!" Kasumi exclaimed. "She's the only one who's considerate enough to buy me something when shopping. Unlike some people I know." Satoshi explained. Kasumi pouted. "Aw come on Kasumi, you know I didn't mean that!" said Satoshi as he gave his sister a hug. I said and gave Kasumi a pat on the head. "See, today wasn't so bad was it?" 


	4. What did you say?! Love?

Chapter 4 – What did you say?! Love?  
  
Beep…beep…beep. 'I hate Mondays…' I thought to myself. "See you at school on Monday…"That's what Sendoh said to me the day before. I immediately jumped out of bed. "Good morning sleepyhead! It's – huh? You're awake?!" Kasumi yelled as she entered my room. My faithful human alarm clock, I could always rely on her to wake me up.  
  
"You sound so disappointed Kasumi. I thought you'd be proud of me for once." I teased. "Ha, ha, ha; very funny. Hurry up and take a shower before Satoshi beats you to it." Kasumi said as she shoved me out the door.  
  
I took a quick shower so that I wouldn't have to wolf down my breakfast for once. As I came down the stairs, I heard a big fuss at the front door. I went to see what was causing it. "Good morning Sekami." Sendoh said with a smile. My jaw dropped like a sack of potatoes. "What on earth are you doing here?" I asked flabbergasted. "I thought I'd pick you up. Unless that is, you want me to go." Sendoh said modestly. "Of course she doesn't mind." Kasumi interjected. Sendoh smiled. "All right then. Let's go."  
  
The three of us, Kasumi, Sendoh and I, were now on our way to school together. "My name is Takahashi Kasumi by the way. But you can call me Kasumi. I'm Sekami's cousin." Kasumi said shyly. I've never seen her become so shy before. "Nice to meet you. Too bad you weren't able to come with Sekami and me last Saturday for lunch." As they talked, I ate my breakfast. I tried to distance myself from the two so that they wouldn't include me in their conversation. I remembered the last time I talked with my mouth full.  
  
We finally reached school and had to go separate ways. "See you two at basketball practice." Sendoh said as he waved goodbye. "See you later." I said with a wave. "Bye Sendoh!" Kasumi said. She waved as if she would never see him again. I sighed and pushed her to her classroom.  
  
It was break time and I decided to go to the library. I sat at a table near the window. The sky was so clear and perfect. I felt like flying a kite. "Rukawa what took you so long?" said a voice. I quickly stood up and looked for him. "Rumiko I've been waiting so long for you what took you?" continued the voice. I turned slightly red. "I must be tired, I'm imagining things." I whispered to myself.  
  
I had opened my book to study when I heard a voice…Rukawa's voice. I put down my book and looked for where the voice was coming from. I almost fell backwards when I saw him in front of me. I couldn't believe my eyes. I blinked several times in disbelief. "Sekami…" whispered Rukawa. I closed my eyes and rubbed them softly. When I opened them, he was gone. "That's it," I said as I closed my book. "I'm officially delirious."  
  
A minute later I heard someone calling me. "Excuse me, miss…" I opened my eyes. "Miss, you'll be late for class if you don't hurry." It was a student from a different section. I looked at my watch. He was right. I gathered up all my stuff. "Thanks for telling me!" I yelled back as I headed for my classroom. I reached it just in time.  
  
"Really? I wonder what that could mean…" It was finally club time and I told Kasumi what had just happen during break time. "You don't look sick. It could be a mild case of food poisoning." Kasumi suggested. I gave her a stare. "What? I was just fulfilling my part of the conversation."  
  
We entered the gym to see the basketball club resting. "Hey." It was Sendoh. "What's wrong?" he asked. Kasumi pointed at me. "She's delirious. She said she saw Rukawa in the library." Sendoh smiled and put his hand on my forehead. "Well, you don't have a fever. But I think I know what that might be." I looked up at him. "What?"  
  
But just as Sendoh was about to tell us, Coach Taoka called all the members together. "I'll tell you tonight. Wait for my call." Sendoh said as he went to join the others. "He knows our number?" I asked. Kasumi stared at the floor. "…"  
  
After dinner was over, Kasumi quickly rushed to the phone. "What's that all about?" asked Satoshi. "She's waiting for Sendoh to call." I replied as I helped Satoshi with the dishes. After all the dishes were cleaned, I went to my room and laid down on my bed. I couldn't stop imagining the smile on Sendoh's face when he told us he knew what it might be. I was just about to call my family when the phone suddenly rang. I picked it up before Kasumi.  
  
"Hi Sendoh." I said as I picked up the phone. Kasumi picked up the phone downstairs. It took a while before Sendoh convinced her to put it down. "So, what was it you wanted to tell me?" I asked. "Love," he said. "What?" I was caught off guard by that one. "Love," Sendoh continued. "That's what made you hallucinate."  
  
"What?!" I yelled. "I can't be in love! I don't even know him that well to love him!" Sendoh chuckled. "Don't you believe in love-at-first- sight?" I thought for a moment. Could it be true? Was I falling for Rukawa? Had I already fallen for him? These were the questions that went spinning through my mind. I remained silent.  
  
"Sekami, are you still there?" asked Sendoh. I quickly snapped back. "Oh, yeah. I'm here. Sorry about that Sendoh." I was doing it again. My thoughts were trailing off again. "Don't try to deny it Sekami. It'll only get worse." I smiled. "Ok. Thanks for your help Sendoh. I appreciate it." He laughed. "It was no problem at all. Anything for a friend."  
  
I hung up the phone slowly. Trying to process everything Sendoh had said to me. I smiled to myself as I laid back down. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. "I love you…Rukawa." 


End file.
